Gear lock



L. F. BROWN Oct. 25 1927.

GEAR Loox Filed Nov. 19, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTO R N EY WITNESS:

oci. 25, 1927. 1,647,033

' L. F'. lBROWN GEAR LOCK Filed Nov. 19, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR WITNESS: 0' m Patented Oct. 25, 1927.

UNITED STATES LEELAND FRANCIS BROWN,

oExNoXvILLE, TENNESSEE, AssIGNoR 0E .ONE-HALE 'ro KENNETH W. DENNIS, or KNoXvILLE, TENNESSEE.

GEAR Loox.

Application led November 19, 1926.v

An object of this invention is the provision of key operated. means for locking the gear shift levery of an automobile in reverse posi tion and at the same time breaking the main battery circuit of the machine, automobile cannot be used by unauthorized persons.

A further object is the provision .of an anti-theft locking device for automobiles which may be readily attached to any automobile of the gear shift type.

A still further object is the provision. of anti-theft device for automobiles which shall be of a simple construction, involvingfew simple parts which may be cheaply manufactured, readily associated and easily'apphed.

To the attainmentof the above broadly. stated object-s and manyV others which will present themselves as' thenature of the iinbetter understood, the inven. l. tionalso resides in certain other novel fea- -provernent is tures of, construction, combination and operaf-ive association yof parts, one satisfactory embodiment of which is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, willbefdescribed in detail in `the' following specification an pointed out with particularit-y in the lap' pendedclaims. l,

In the drawings: Y

Figure 1 isa side elevation of the improvement, the gear shift ylever being locked 1n reverse position, V.parts beingbrollien away an parts in section.

`Figure 2 is a sectional yview on the line `Qf- 2 of Figure 1. l

Figure 3 1s a sectional Viewon 3-,-,3 of Figure 1.

' ,Figure l is a 'sectional view on. theline Y @it will be apparent-that theblock` 9 is mov-` through its guide, and.

f that the guide 13 is pivotally supportedin f ll of Figure 2.y

,Figure 5 is asectional viewon 5-5 of Figure A. I v 1, v Y Figure 6 is a sectional viewbnthe line 6-6 'of'Figure 1.v y

Figure 7 is a sectionall viewon 7-7 of Figure 1. l

Figure 8 is a viewvsubstantially similar to Figure 7 but showing the-bolt raised to unlocking position.

theline Figure 9 is asectional perspective View illustratinga number of limportant .elements ofthe improvement. l'

Referring now shift housing of anautomobile, andl2 the gear shift lever. Arranged on one Side of so that the Y vany of its the linev to the drawings detail, the numeral 1 designates a portion of la gearl "through v designed to Serial No. 149,470.

the housing 1 there is a hollow box'like member 3. formed with the housing or may be secure thereto/inV any desired or preferred manner. I have not deemed it necessary to'illustrate vThis ,member may be integrallyv the gears which are shifted by the levers 2,

but it-is to be understood that when the lever is in the position illustrated by Figurefl of the drawings, the same has been shifted to operate the gears so thatthe car will travel in a reverse direction.

FiXedly secured on the gear shift lever 2 there is a two-part block or clamp, the sections l of which being connected together by bolts 5. One of the sections 4 is disposed opposite an opening l6 that establishes a communication between shift housing 1 and on the box 3 and the gear block or section there is ixedfa substantially U-shaped bail 7 The vbail' 7 is engaged by a similar bail 8 end of a slidable block 9. The bloc-k 9 has its sides formed with outstanding longitudinali lyextending ribs 10, and these ribs arereceived in grooves 11 -outhe inner or confront-y d ingsides of a substantially U-shaped guide 13. :The guide 13 has its ,parallel arms, at

the outer face of this Y formedor secured on the outer a desired point throughout the'length vthere-1r of, connected by lupper, and lower plates 14, respectively. Eachl plate 14: yhas a central outwardlyfdirected pintlefl, the lower vpind ktle being receivedin a suitable .apertureV of `theboX-lilre member 3 4 being received in a bearing notch or opening yin `a vtransverse brace theline l plateA 16 whichhas its endsxed by means box 3.v

and the upper pintlel H9o 17 to the sidesof the As far. asy the description has progressed.y

able longitudinally the box. j Thus the lever 2 can be shifted to desired positions, and the block 9 audits guide are arranged at a central longitudinal positionin the box when the lever 2 isswung to reverse position. The block 9, adjacent be arranged opposite to the rearend y thereof, has a'square opening 18 thereof the machine.

r pivoted, asiat' 32, to a the opening 18 in the block 9, when the block has been influenced by the shifting of the lever 2 to bring the gears of the automobile to a position to reverse the travel rPhe squaredY opening 2O serves as a guide for the cross sectionally squared end of a bolt 2l. The bolt preferably has its outer end thickened, the said bolt being also provided with a round bore having a spiral groove 22 therein. The groove 22 is engaged' by spiral threads 23 onY a spindle-24 that-centrally projects from a revoluble element 25 which is associated with a keyV operated lock v2G, the key for the said lock passing through a key opening in the top ofthe box 3. By turning the keyA the'threaded spindle 24 will be revolved to cause the bolt 2l to travel downwardly through the guide opening20 inthe bracel9 andentertheopening 18 in the slidableblock 9, thus locking the gear shift lever in reverse. position. The. part 25 of the lock has an-.annular depression 26 through the sections of-an brace.- 27,- the ends of the said lixed to the-sides'of the box.

FiXedly secured to the revoluble element 25 of the-lock-there is a disc` 28 ofl insulatingmaterial. The disc 28 onone ofY lts faces Iis provided with a spiral groovef29and in this groove there is received a guide roller 30 that is suitably journaled on a knife switch 3ll` that provides oneofthe elements of a circuit breaker. The switch- '3l is contact to which is' connected=one end'of the main battery wire forv the machine, and the switchis movable tot-engage' with the second contact 33- to which the@ second wireisvconnected. lVhenr the lockr is operated'tobringlthe boltl out-of its keeper open'- upper transverse ing7 orL t'ofnon-lockin'g position thedisc 28 isl Lo -influnce the knife switch-l 3lthe'contact 33,'so that thefelectri'c circuit for-the automobile" will Vnot bei inter" However, when-L the lockis' operated to bring the bolt 2l into its keeper'- turned against fer'ed witln opening` .18' inthe block 9 the disc will have turned to the position illustrated in Figure` knife switch 3l-is`swnngiaway from the contact 33 andI thereby brea-kingthe-electric circuit of the Thus itfwill be notedV that with 6 ofilthe drawings-,so that theA machine. my improvement I notl only loc-k the gears of the engine in reverse position but break the electric circuit so that the car cannot-be usedby unauthorized persons. Y Evenlshould a person wire around the block from battery to theengine they `could only -run the car' in reverse land consequentlyv attract attention. By lockinglthe-gears in reverse position'the-car is insured against damage when left on-hills, as the same cannot beV made to travel downward'and so it is not necessary to apply the brakes when the car is' thus that is received brace being.

end'rof the main" batteryl type of gear shift automobiles and while it n is thought that the foregoing description, when read in connection with the accompanying-drawings, will `clearly set' forth'the construction and operation oflthelembodiment ofthe improvementhereinV set forth, If

desire it understoodthat-,Il hold myselfy entitled to make suchchanges and `modifica'- tions therefrom asy fairly fall withinv the scope of what I claim.

avingdescribedtheinvention, Lela-im 1. The lcombination with agear shift type of automobile, includinga gearl shift lever'- therefor, of a means'for'lockingfthe lever when the same'is moved toshift the gears in reverse position, saidl means including a' longitudinally movable block, a swingablef' guide for the! blockand a; key operatedfbolt for engagingthe block whenl the `latter-has.f been moved by the lever or the latterA is broughtl to reverse"position.V

2. The combination-with-'a gearsliift-typef the electric' system of automobile, including therefor and the gear shiftlever', of a blockloosely connected to the gearshiftfleverv-,faf pivotally supported guid-ef through which* the block is` movable, al revoluble,Y element, a

when the lock ineluding` ai bolt influencedv by the turni-ng of salidelementto engage the blockf gearhshiftlever hasl influencedthei JOU- said block by its movement tol reverseposi'- Y.

tion, contacts to which theendsfofa` battery wirey foran electric circuiti' are connected, and' a knife switch and engageableA with the'l other andfiinlulv enced by the revoluble elementl teimake oriT break the circuit in accordance with `the position of the bolt in its unlockingor in its lockingl` positions.'l

pivoted to one contact"l i es' 3. The combination with an automobileof the'-z gear shift* type, including the electric circuit therefor and the gear-shift-lver,of a blo'ckvremovably afndflo'osely connected t'o the lever, said block tongues on the 'sides thereof, aV guide frv` 'the block having grooves on thereofin whichlthe tongues of the bloel'rV are received, a pivoted support for 'the guide, a bolt, *guidemeansrtherefor, a key operated lock having a spindleextension threadedffor said block-lia-v' coengagement with the bolt, ing a keeper opening-intoy which? the `'boltl is movable whenthe blockVA is operated and a circuit breaker for the electric? circuit ofjtlie= machine operablel` by the. turningofthe `spindle when the bolt isv moved to locking." position.

4;. The combination with a gea-r Slift--typ'eff having outstanding the confrontingside's" of automobile, including the electric system therefor and the gear shift lever, of a longitudinally movable block loosely connected with the lever, said'block having a bolt receiving opening therethrough, a pivotally supported guide for the block, a bolt arranged above the block, guide means for the bolt, said bolt having a bore provided with a spiral groove, a key operated lock including a spindl-e having spiral threads received in the. bore of the bolt and said spindle having a spiral thread to engage in the grooves of the bolt, the opening in Fthe block designed to be brought opposite the bolt when the said block is moved longitudinally by the shifting of the lever to a reverse position, whereby the bolt may beA brought into the opening only when the lever is so shifted and means actuated by the turning of the spindle for breaking an electric circuit when the bolt is in locking position.

5. The combination with a gear shift type of automobile, including the gear shifthousing, the gear shift lever and the electric system of the automobile, of a means for locking the automobile when the lever has been shifted to reverse position, including a box extending from the gear shift housing, Va block in said extension, movable into the housing and removably and loosely connected to the lever, a 'pivotally supported guide in the housing for the block and said block having a keeper opening therethrough, a bolt guided'above the block, said bolt having a spirally grooved bore, a key operated lock supported in the box and having a revoluble part vformed with a spindle extension to be received in the bore of the bolt and said spindle having a spiral thread to engage in the groove of the bolt, a disc of `insulating material fixed on the revoluble ele ment of the lock and having a spiral groove in one face thereof, contacts to which the respective ends of the main battery wire o1 the automobile are connected and arranged at the opposite sides of the disc, a switch blade pivoted to one of said contacts and a lower element on the blade received in the grooveof the disc', all as and for the pur pose specied. y

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

LEELAND F. BRWN. 

